Monday saw another positive session on Wall Street, as the S&P 500 pushed further into record territory and other major benchmarks climbed around 1%. News of a preliminary trade agreement between the U.S. and Mexico raised hopes among market participants that their worst fears about the rise of tariffs and a potential trade war would prove to have been overblown. Yet even with most stocks doing well, some companies suffered setbacks that left them out of the rally. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG), Eclipse Resources (NYSE: ECR), and GameStop (NYSE: GME) were among the worst performers on the day. Here’s why they did so poorly.
Chipotle loses some of its spice
Continue Reading Below
Chipotle Mexican Grill stock fell 5%, giving back some of its recent gains in light of a negative move from a Wall Street analyst company. Analysts at Wedbush downgraded shares of the Mexican food chain from neutral to underperform, cutting their price target by $5 to $445 per share. Wedbush believes that comparable-restaurant sales will be sluggish during the summer months, potentially marking a slowdown after its impressive bounce following the hiring of CEO Brian Niccol. With lingering concerns about previous foodborne illness incidents still out there, Chipotle still has more work to do to complete its turnaround efforts.
Eclipse makes a deal
Shares of Eclipse Resources dropped 11% after the company announced a move to acquire an industry peer. The oil and gas exploration and production specialist said that it would acquire fellow Utica shale play Blue Ridge Mountain Resources in an all-stock deal that gives Blue Ridge an enterprise value of about $1.4 billion. Under the deal, Blue Ridge shareholders would get 4.4259 shares of Eclipse stock for every share they own, and if the transaction goes through, Eclipse will then do a 1-for-15 reverse stock split immediately following its closing. Some investors were disappointed that Eclipse was the one doing the buying instead of finding a larger company to acquire it, but the energy company is hopeful that a larger scale will bring it big benefits in the long run.
GameStop takes a beat
Finally, GameStop stock declined 11%. The video game retailer is giving up some of its gains from recent months, many of which centered on the notion that the company would find a buyer willing to pay a premium for its store network. Speculation had included the possibility of a private equity firm stepping in to take a major position in GameStop or buy out the company entirely. But with fundamental challenges affecting the industry — including the very real possibility that game manufacturers will simply bypass retailers like GameStop and instead distribute games directly to players via digital distribution — shareholders are increasingly nervous about the long-term sustainability of GameStop’s current business model.
Advertisement
Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy nowMotley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the S&P 500!*
Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now.
Click here to get access to the full list!
*Stock Advisor returns as of Aug. 6, 2018.
Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool owns shares of GameStop and has the following options: short October 2018 $15 calls on GameStop. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
